Marie SophieJeanne Laisné was a French operatic soprano with the Opéra-Comique. She started her career as Sophie in the first French production of Massenet's Werther, and went on to create the roles of Aurore in Jules Massenet's Le portrait de Manon, Jeanne in Benjamin Godard's La Vivandière, La Duchesse de Fronsac in Henri Hirschmann's L'amour à la Bastille, and Henriette in Ernest Lefèvre-Dérodé's Le follet. Other notable roles include Micaela in Bizet's Carmen and as Mimi in Puccini's La bohème.
Biography
Laisné studied at the Conservatoire de Paris under Ernest Boulanger, graduating in 1892, after which she was engaged by the Opéra-Comique. She made her opera début on 16 January 1893 as Sophie in the first Paris production of Jules Massenet's Werther, which also featured Marie Delna, Max Bouvet, and Guillaume Ibos in leading roles. She created the role of Aurore in Jules Massenet's Le portrait de Manon, a sequel to his earlier Manon, at the Opéra-Comique on 8 May 1894. Years after des Grieux's tragic romance, he has adopted a son, who is in love with Aurore, who, unbeknownst to des Grieux, is Manon's niece. The two young lovers have to remind him of his own tragic youth, in order to get him to accept that love should reign in their generation. In connection with the première, writing in La Nouvelle Revue the author and librettist Louis Gallet refers to "la charmante Mlle Laisné, qui joue et chante à ravir le rôle d'Aurore". Le Matin discussed her charming voice and effective execution, and Le Figaro discussed how she agreeably chirped and trilled her way through Aurore. In 1898, Le Matin praised her performance in Fidelio, stating "Mlle Lainè a une voix d'une pureté délicieuse, qu'elle sait conduire avec un art consommé" Laisné married Jules Victor Henri Libent on 20 September 1901 in Paris.
Repertoire
1893: Sophie in Massenet's Werther, first French production, at the Opéra-Comique, 16 January
1893: Geneviève in Alfred Bruneau's L'Attaque du moulin at the Opéra-Comique
1894: Created the role of Aurore in Massenet's Le portrait de Manon at the Opéra-Comique, 8 May.
1894: Nanette in Verdi's Falstaff at the Opéra-Comique, from 14 November
1895: Virginie in Victor Massé's Paul et Virginie at the Opéra-Comique, from 26 February
1895: Created the role of Jeanne in Benjamin Godard's La Vivandière at the Opéra-Comique, 1 April
1896: Isabelle in Ferdinand Hérold's Le pré aux clercs at the Opéra-Comique, 19 January
1896: L'Ombre heureuse in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice at the Opéra-Comique, 6 March.
1897: Created the role of La Duchesse de Fronsac in Henri Hirschmann's L'amour à la Bastille at the Opéra-Comique, 14 December
1898: Philomèle in Delibes' Le roi l'a dit at the Opéra-Comique, 13 March
1898: Philine in Thomas' Mignon at the Opéra-Comique, 24 April
1898: Rafaela in Daniel Auber's Haydée, ou Le secret at the Opéra-Comique, 12 February
1898: Virginie in Victor Massé's Paul et Virginie at the Opéra-Comique, 24 November
1898: Marceline in Beethoven's Fidelio at the Opéra-Comique, 30 December
1899: Henriette in Halévy's L'eclair at the Opéra-Comique, 5 June
1899: L'Ombre heureuse in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice at the Opéra-Comique, 20 December
1900: Jeanette in Victor Massé's Les noces de Jeannette at the Opéra-Comique, 7 January
1900: Philine in Thomas' Mignon at the Opéra-Comique, 19 January
1900: Created the role of Henriette in Ernest Lefèvre-Dérodé's Le follet, 1 May
1900: Sœur Euphémie in François Devienne's Les Visitandines, 15 May
From 1900, she also appeared as Micaela in Bizet's Carmen, Suzel in Erlanger's Le Juif Polonais, Baucis in Gounod's Philémon et Baucis, and Mimi in Puccini's La bohème.
